The rum and vanilla toppings are the predominate tastes of this blend. The grassy Virginia is there as a base, but you really can't taste it. I get a few burley nut notes here and there in the background. The unsweetened black cavendish adds a little sugar. The rum is has a little richness, and is a little more obvious than the vanilla. Has little nicotine. Wont bite or get harsh. Burns very cool and smooth, and slightly slow as the tobacco is a little moist. Needs some relights. Has a very consistent flavor, though it does require a little drying fresh out of the tin to avoid a wet bottom of the bowl, and also make it easier to keep lit. Don't dry it out completely though or you'll risk losing some flavor. Sports a very pleasant after taste and room note. Can be an all day smoke. Three and a half stars.

If we are to believe the historians, rum flavored tobaccos may be one of the earliest forms of pipe tobacco as the development of the Caribbean colonies, the planting of sugar cane brought from the Canaries, the horror of the “triangular trade,” the distillation of molasses into rum, and the mass production of clay pipes are all roughly coincidental: the late 16th to the mid-17th century. The men of the ships, so the story goes, would store their ropes of tobacco in used rum barrels and perhaps give them a little rum soaking both for flavor and to keep the bugs at bay.

I grabbed a couple tins of Barbados Plantation a few years ago at a pipe show. Sutliff, as the company often does, was offering tins of most of their blends as free samples. I opened the first of those tins a few weeks after the show and wasn't very impressed. What I found was a sopping wet mixture dominated by Black Cavendish with an intense, somewhat artificial rum aroma—far more intense than any other rum-spiked blend I'd ever had. Barbados Plantation was so wet that it sizzled at the match, even after judicious drying. Of all of the various permutations out there in the world of aromatic tobaccos, I'm most partial to the Christmas cake/Rum family. But I didn't make it through more than a few bowls of that first tin. I used up the remainder by blending it with some neutral Burley to create a light rum aromatic.

Tin #2 has dried out quite a bit, which is all for the good. The rum flavoring, however, has muted some, though it remains artificial. The strangest thing about this tobacco, is that it seems that the heavy dose of wet topping has sunk down to the bottom of the tin. The bottom of the tin is now crusted with black tar, like a simmering pot of black bean chili that someone forgot to stir. I've seen this kind of thing before, but in 40 year old tins, not 2 year old tins.

I've smoked a few bowls of this well-aged Barbados Plantation. It's marginally better than it was when it was fresh. But it is still not even close to the quality of something like C&D's After Hours Flake, a far superior rum-sauced Virginia. Tin #2 is destined for blending, too. It blends quite nicely. That's the only reason it merits 2 stars.

This presents as a vanilla black cavendish mixed with a burley and given a rum topping. Mine came too moist, and the first 1/4 of the bowl had a somewhat intense vanilla/rum note. This was good, but it was just a lot of good for me. It pushed the envelope.

The flavor settled down to fairly mild by mid bowl, and to my way of thinking it was a significantly better smoke. I don't have the most delicate palate in the world, but I don't think there is any Virginia in this despite the description.

This was good, and I could see smoking this again. I doubt I would stock it. I can easily see that this would be a home run for some of the pipe smokers out there.

This is a sweet one. Dominated by the Black Cav, it's difficult to get any other tobacco flavor. The rum topping is in competition with the vanilla from the BC. Even with all that, I've enjoyed smoking this, though it's one that I'll have to ration due to it's overly sweet nature. Not exactly my thing, but a pretty good smoke.

Mild to medium in body. Medium in flavoring and flavor. If you've got a jones for the sweet stuff you'll love it.

Okay, a brief story. 27 years ago my wife and I got married and honeymooned in Barbados. I loved the place. It was, at the time at least, covered in sugar cane and they make Mount Gay rum there. While there I developed a very strong affinity for the stuff. The resort where we stayed had the pool right off of the beach and there was, of course, a pool bar. One of the first days there I met a particular bartender, a native Bajan whose name escapes me. I couldn't decide what I wanted and he offered to make me his specialty. A frozen banana daiquiri. Don't roll your eyes, this wasn't a girlie drink made with bottled mixers and rail brand rum. Everything was fresh and it tasted amazing. I developed a standing appointment everyday just after lunch with this bartender.

I tell you this to give context to the review of this tobacco. I was intrigued by the name. Upon opening the tin I was greeted with the definite aroma of rum. Not ordinary run-of-the-mill rum, not rum flavoring but island rum. Barbados rum. Visually it was an interesting mix of light and dark ribbon cut tobacco. It was moist but not overly wet. It packed well but the initial bowl did take a bit of effort to light and keep lit. Subsequent bowls were a piece of cake due to a little drying time after the opening of the tin. I don't think I'd let it dry too much though or you may risk losing some of the flavor.

Smoking this was heaven. I have had trouble tasting some of the flavors in other aros. Not this one. I tasted everything. There is first and foremost the Bajan Rum, sweet and wonderful. Underneath that is a subtle hint of vanilla. I detected another flavor in there. It took me about half a bowl but it finally clicked. I honestly don't know if it's truly there or if my mind has been playing tricks on me but I swear, it's banana. Not overt. Not overpowering. But a hint of it. Every bowl so far has whisked me back to that poolside bar in Barbados and the amazing taste of that fresh all natural banana daiquiri.

This is great in briar and it is heaven in a cob. For some reason it was a bit flat in a meer. About the only thing negative I can say was that it did leave a bit of that burley cigarette taste on my tongue after I smoked it but that is so minor when I consider the pleasant smoke I had up to that point. If you don't like aros you're not going to like this. It is definitely an aro. And it's one of the best aros I've had.

I found this to be a nicely done tobacco. It balances very nice and the flavoring is not over done. It allows for a cool smooth sweet smoke. Has a great room note others will certainly enjoy. Smoked it fresh out of the tin. Didn't have a wet or goopy smoking experience and only needed one relight - Although looking at it in the tin and based on other reviews, I was expecting it. It was a little on the moist side. For as strong as the tin note reflected rum, it didn't have any harshness and remained mellow and tame throughout. The tin note is amazingly good on this one. Overall a very enjoyable smoke that I'll definitely enjoy outdoors this summer among company. Probably my favorite rum based smoke yet. If you are looking for or like sweet, this one's in the wheelhouse. If you're relatively new to pipe smoking and your trying various aromatics, I'd highly recommend this one. If you're not into aromatics and sweet, sit this one out.

This tobacco was too wet when I tried it out of the tin, so much so that it took me a long time before revisiting it. I tried it after cellaring for about 8 months. I still needed for it to sit out for about ten minutes before packing.

Tin note has vanilla, caramel, rum, and maybe a little coconut.

Taste shows lots of vanilla and caramel for about the first quarter of the bowl. What starts really sweet and sugary develops into a bit deeper, creamier taste as the VA and Cav begin to show up for the middle half of the bowl. Toppings begin to take a back seat with natural tobacco flavors coming in. Burns down to a fine grey ash and finishes with an aftertaste of sweet vanilla and leather.

Overall I think the topping and tobacco combination works really well. In addition, the room note is really amazing. In fact, maybe the best I have ever smelled. I do think the tobacco was way too wet out of the tin, and I don't think the cut was the best. It is hard to keep lit without first either drying it or tearing up some of the larger chunks in the blend. Not bad at all, but there are probably better options.

I did not enjoy this tobacco. I found it too moist and bitey, and the flavor overly sweet and unpleasant. It's a little harsh, and I get no real tobacco flavor. It doesn't burn well due to the high moisture and heavy casing, and it tends to smoke hot, even after it's been left to dry. It goops-up my pipes and leaves a ghost-residue. It's what I'd expect from a bulk or pouch aromatic like Borkum Riff. I guess I've learned that blends heavily cased in whiskey, cognac, or in this case, rum, are just not to my taste.

Rum flavor complements the decent base tobaccos. After the rum flavor fades a bit, once into the bowl, the nutty Burley makes a mild appearance. A bit of spice comes through on the retrohale. Burns clean. 2+.

I am as picky as aromatic smokers come. I need for an aromatic to deliver beyond just a nice tin note...I need to smell it, taste it, and share the aroma around the room. Barbados Plantation has become a very consistent go-to aromatic for me. The flavor is simply fantastic. The rum overtone is nice and mellow, with a sweet flavorful base providing just a delightful experience...every single time. I've lost the taste for a lot of other aromatics with this one...it's THAT GOOD.

Tin Note - Wow, this blew me away, it is like a fresh, warm, fruit pudding with a good helping of island rum and vanilla.The smell is super strong but I found it amazingly inviting, my mind was playing tricks on me, my mouth was watering and I kept expecting to find a delicious desert to sink my teeth in to, that's what I could smell here. I would buy an air freshener with this scent.

Presentation - coarsely cut ribbon, very dark, with the cavendish looking dominant. It was a bit wet, but I deemed it fine to smoke straight out of the tin. It worked out fine.

Smoking - It packed nicely straight out of the tin, it lit easily with 2 matches and only needed one relight about 2\3 of the way down the bowl, it didn't smoke wet and burnt to a fine ash with no goop. I was very impressed for such a heavily cased aromatic.

How did it taste - On first light I got a great, creamy, sweet rum flavor, with a vanilla behind it. To my surprise this flavor never left, or even dulled, throughout the whole bowl. Each mouthful was packed with flavor, a dark and fruity undertone from the tobacco, wrapped up in that lovely rum casing which never became overpowering, a hint of vanilla accompanied it the whole way. This is a very sweet tobacco, but not sickeningly sweet. The flavor clings to the palate and lips nicely and kept me coming back for more, I had to remind myself to slow down. Even when I got excited and puffed away at the wonderful flavor, it never burnt hot, bit, or developed that horrible, goopy, steamy moisture some aromatics do. It just stayed very smooth and creamy, and was very forgiving. For a non Aro smoker I found this amazing, I will be finishing this tin before I have time to jar it. If you don't like Aro's but would like to try one you will appreciate, I can recommend this. I usually smoke English/Balkan/Oriental blends.

Sutliff Barbados Plantation is malty, nutty, creamy and sweet. The tin note is overwhelming at first, not so much any more when smoked.

The tobacco feels very moist and sticky. The flavor reminds me somehow of Tiramisu (!). It’s very mild and I had no bite at all. It burns well but slow and the temperature has to be monitored constantly.

If you like very sweet toppings, but you don’t care so much about tasting tobacco, this one is for you.

eah nothing to say accept this tobacco is good because it's aroma. Smooth, mild to medium , and mellow taste that sticks into my tongue and palate. Im not a big fans of aromatic but sometimes i smoke 1-2 bowl to make my house smells good and to please the visittor and my neighbours and entertain them with the room notes. To make a great smoke, like others Sutliff's blends, it needs to be winded for a while to get a proper moist level so is not hard to light and keep the light. Just make a good charing light and you can smoke until the bottom without need to unlight accept if you smoke an extra large bowl. The virginia is very nice, sweet and good taste, with little bit earthy from the burley and the cavendish gave a mildness taste. Almost without tongue bite so i can smoke this stuff without worried, but still i keep my drawing and puff rhytm just to make sure my pipe is keep safe. The oily layer looks nice at the chamber if you can keep the light steady and the bowl's temperature is not too hot. Is a nice aro...

The words on the front of the tin would do as a review: Sweet Barbados rum, smooth and rich!

I've found, with this style of tin, a lot of the time when I open it what greets me is a dried out blend, due to the circulating air inside. But Barbados Plantation, if anything, was a bit too much the other way: nearly damp. In the tin-note the rum is a fairly certain addition.

With the smoke the black Cavendish outweighs the other tobaccos, being sweet and vanilla-like. To me, the rum tastes a lesser addition than the vanilla, giving a sort of molasses note, rather than a loud alcoholic one. The Virginia, and Burley are much further back than the Cav', the Virginia more-so. The burn from it's cool, and there isn't a bite in it.

This blend was a pleasant surprise. A step above the usual Ataldis/Sutliff bulk blends. On par with Molto Dulce. Tin note is fruity, taste is spiced rum and coke (vanilla Coke), & room note is Creme Brulee. This is a heavily cased American Aromotic with loads of flavor and little to no real tobacco taste. An excellent dessert blend if one has a sweet tooth. Burns wet, but decent as is to be expected from such blends. Overall, a decent blend. Cheers.

While this blend won't set the world on fire it has some nice flavor. Burns nice and slow, lots of creamy smoke and no bite. Room note is not overwhelming but there is a little there. It is a nice sweet smoke but not too sweet and not too much flavor. This is a kind of high level middle of the road aromatic.

A lovely black cavendished burley. I agree that initially it was a soggy hot mess out of the tin, took work to keep lit, and so on. Drying helps in the early life of an opened tin. Eventually I cellared this away, returning for a monthly sample, and what I've learned is that this is a blend that just needs a little time to settle down. IMO it gives its best results when enjoyed slowly; pushing renders it harsh quickly. A pleasant light rum taste, the tin notes of coconut, spiced rum, vanilla and banana transfer to a pleasant banana liquer, lightly sweet in the Barbados style. Exceptional room note. If you enjoy light aromatics, this would be a fine one to have on hand.

Purchased a tin of this on a whim and am glad I did. A very good aromatic topped with vanilla and rum, both of which predominate the flavor...the vanilla a bit more so than the rum. A little moist from the tin, typical in my experience with Sutliff aros so dry it a little but not too much or lose the flavors. I can't pick out the Virgina, but sometimes you get some burley taste. A great aromatic if rum and vanilla are your thing, good for bowl after bowl.

Some of you may be aware of The Rum Project where we review rums, whisky and tobaccos. It is fair to say that we know our rums very well, not least the fine Barbadian style with which this blend is alleged to be flavored. Until recently one of my favorites was McB's Navy Flake. No more.

This blend supplants it, and not by just a little. The tobacco all seems to be of good quality, and blended well. Visually it seems to be black cavendish dominant, followed by burley and then virginia, but that's just a rough guess. Some have called the blend too moist, but mine was not. With minimal drying the number of relights was not at all excessive. Used a standard 3 pack in my cob, and it was off to an extremely pleasant experience.

You will read of this blend's aromatics of rum, over a touch a vanilla and one poster even mentioned a light banana. I agree. t just so happens that Bajan rums do in fact display elements of banana (as well as the classic rum profiles of leather, vanilla, medium and deeper fruits). Thus this blend's casing may well be quite authentic insofar as a gentle Barbadian rum is concerned. But don't get me wrong. In this case the aromatics in no way overwhelm, but rather are in perfect balance with the burleys and virginia in this blend. The rum is entirely authentic in this light aromatic blend.

All the elements - tobacco and aromatics - can be distinguished, although they remain in near perfect harmony and balance. No one component dominates in any way, and that is a real gift. Indeed as the bowl progresses the tobaccos strengthen and move nicely forward, yet the modest aromatics are in no way lost, just slightly less evident.

This kind of balance and development is what I believe all such blends of its kind should aspire to. Lovely light, no burn, cool, rich, smooth and balanced. And to me, completely authentic. Love it!

Medium ribbon-cut, moist pleasant aroma with rum note out of the tin. Easy packing and draw. All of the smoke makes for a pleasant experience, Good slip-stream, nice bowl aroma, consistent flavor profile from the unique blend. I didn't expect this mild, mellow roasty smoke after experiencing Borkum Riff 11N Rum flavored tobac, which seems to be opposite this Barbados Plantation in being a pleasant smoke. A four star and possibly in my rotation.